Hi! I am sure that most reading this blog know me, but just in case you don’t my name is Hollie. Nice to meet you! I decided to start blogging mainly because I am very extroverted and love talking. I know my husband and friends can vouch for this. Currently I stay home with my four little wood arrows. Miller just turned six, Evie will be five next month, Grant 2 1/2, and little miss Nora Kate will be 4 months soon. I am married to my best friend and AWESOME husband and Corey. If any of you know him, you can vouch for the amazing man he is. I am sure that he will read my blog and try and tell me all my grammatical and writing errors, but I am not a great writer and have never professed to be one! So if I mess up so be it. He can teach the kids how to write well! We are homeschooling, which should be another blog in itself, but I will probably just throw some things about our journey on this blog.

If someone had asked me when I graduated high school what I would be doing in ten years I probably would have laughed in their face if they had thought I would have four children, staying home, and homeschooling. The moment I turned 16 I had a job, and even when I was a senior I worked three jobs. I always loved being out and about and with my friends. Then I went to college (which I have way to much debt from-but that is a whole other issue) and got married shortly after graduating.

I have been intrigued to start blogging because of some recent changes we are making to our diets and a way to document and keep up with our progress. I bought the book Trim Healthy Mama after a recommendation from a good friend of mine. It has been so eye opening. I finally feel like I know how to eat healthy and not feel deprived and just end up bingeing. I have lost about 10 lbs since really just cutting out sugar from my diet. I am also breastfeeding and that burns more but I am only about 15 lbs from my goal weight. I am not so much concerned about weight as I am just being overall healthy. I love that I have treats I can make for the kids and know that they are good for them. Even Corey is on board and doing great and he loves sugar. There is much more to why I am concerned about my health. Keep reading to find out what God has done for me in my journey to better health.

Here is a brief version of my testimony of a physical, spiritual, and emotional healing that God has done in my life over the past six years. When I was 19 I started have anxiety and panic attacks. The nature of the attacks doesn’t really have to be shared in detail, only that it was the worst thing that I have ever experienced in my life. I cried for months trying to figure out what was going on in my life, why this had started, and it was taking its toll on me. My friends, and you know who you are, hung in there through the thick of it with me. Praying, encouraging, and listening to my saga over and over and over again. It was the most intense, distressing thing ever. I even went on an anti-depressant for six years to deal with the anxiety. I remember reading that my situation was “chronic” and being so down heartened because I thought I would always be so anxious. But God stirred something in me. I started reading and seeking His word for healing in my life. persevering and coming to a clear understanding that I was not bound by a complete life of suffering I knew I would be healed…and I have been!!! It took a lot of work. Prayer at the foremost, therapy, counseling, inner healing, forgiveness, and a huge component was changing my diet. I cut back sugar and added things like fish oil and magnesium. I can only give God all the glory for bringing me out of that hell. I will never forget the way he delivered me and I will always praise him for it. I have been off medication for 5 years and have not had one anxiety attack since!!!

Because I have been living proof of how diet can help eliminate and eradicate major problems, it has become somewhat of a passion of mine. Although I have definitely fallen off the wagon during seasons of extreme stress and my avid sweet tooth. I don’t want to be so rigid that I can’t enjoy eating out, occasional treats, but I know how much better I feel and with Trim Healthy Mama I have yet to feel deprived. I feel like it is teaching me a solution to eating healthy long-term not just a quick diet to lose weight, although that is a pleasant side effect. I would love to start a support group for those interested in supporting each other to eat right and take care of our temples. I feel armed with knowledge on how to feed my little growing arrows! I am blessed with the responsibility to grow them strong.

I am excited about blogging about my life here. I want to share about My God, my family, great friends, homeschooling and our new healthy lifestyle on a budget! Thanks for reading our new blog!